To Have Never Met You
by oddball15
Summary: “I wish I never would have met you!” She shreiked as she ran to her bedroom. Little did she know how much worse life would be if she had not met him. Smitchie/Nitchie
1. Didn't Want To Say I'm Sorry

**I got this idea a few days ago but actually sat down and wrote it today. I hope you like it! **

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"Just go away!" Mitchie turned away from him, marching toward her apartment.

"No! I want to work this out!" He yelled, following her.

"There's nothing to _work out_ Shane! You were rude to my mother, you gave my little brother a _wedgie_ and basically told my grandmother that she smelled bad! And that's not even the worst you've been with them! I asked you to be on your best behavior! Why couldn't you have done that!? For me!?" She screeched at him, furiously fumbling with the keys to her door.

Shane grabbed the keys from her and smoothly unlocked the door. "Mitch, I only told your grandmother she was _fragrant_."

Mitchie turned to him after stumbling into the apartment with wide, fiery eyes. "You always do this to me! You do something I've specifically asked you over and over not to do and screw everything up! You use all these lame-ass excuses that get you nowhere and then you try to make it up to me by turning on that Hollywood-heartthrob attitude and making me forget everything and then you just go and do it all over again!"

"But it works, doesn't it?" Shane smirked and his fuming fiancé.

"It won't this time!! I'm sick and tired of begging you to stop being such an ass around my family! Now GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" She stomped toward her small kitchen, a nearly visible trail of angry smoke coming from her nostrils.

"Maybe if you weren't such a bitch all the time I could be nicer around them!" Shane yelled after her.

"I said GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!!!"

"It's partly mine, you know! I'm helping you pay for it!"

"God Shane, you're so immature! Maybe that's why my family doesn't like you! They know that you'll never be able to _grow up_!" She picked up a spoon and threw it forcefully at him, but he dodged it by inches and it hit the wall with a loud _thud_.

"I'm the immature one, am I?! At least I'm not chucking spoons at people!!!"

"You don't like it when I throw spoons!? Then how about _this_!?" She ripped her engagement ring off her finger and hurled it at his forehead. "I wish I never would have met you!!" She shrieked as she ran to her bedroom.

"Good riddance, _Bitchie_!"

Mitchie's door slammed and shook the walls of the apartment. "Asshole!" Came her muffled reply.

The apartment door slammed and they were both alone.

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**So this is the kind of starter chapter I guess you could say. I probably won't be updating terribly soon because of school and other busy things that I'm involved in this month... I will update, though! Once I get everything else finished I'll make this one of my top priorities! Anyway... thanks for reading and pleasepleaseplease review and tell me what you think of the idea. :)**


	2. Wanted To Call, No Need To Fight

**Ack! So I was going to update this a few days ago but then something odd happened on the website and I couldn't log into FanFiction for a few days... Sorry for the long wait! I really hope you liked this!**

**(And thanks to everyone who alerted this on its first chapter! You rock!)**

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Mitchie rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly. She was in her small room, on top of the covers, her clothes wrinkled and uncomfortable since she'd fallen asleep in them. She grimaced as she remembered the previous night's events.

Shane had been an asshole last night… but _she'd_ also been a total bitch to him. Maybe she'd overreacted… a little. It _was _that time of months again, after all. She stood up slowly and yawned. When she scratched her nose with her left hand and furrowed her brows in confusion. Where was her ring…?

_Oh, Shit._

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reaching for her phone in her pocket, which thankfully hadn't been crushed while Mitchie was sleeping. She pressed the speed dial for Shane and held the phone up to her ear.

That was weird. It wasn't making any noise. No rings, no beeps. It was silent. She looked at the screen. All that was on it was the little number 2 on the screen.

Maybe it was just her speed dial. She dialed his number.

It wasn't terribly long before a machine-like voice said, "I'm sorry. This number is not available. Please hang up and try again later."

Mitchie tossed her phone across the room. Screw that idea. She'd just have to go to work and apologize there.

Haha.

Maybe she could use this situation in an article for the magazine.

…

"Morning, Caitlyn!"

Caitlyn looked up and smiled at Mitchie. "Hi, Mitchie! So I was-"

"Sorry, Cait, I'll talk later. I have to go find Shane!"

Mitchie was in such a hurry that she didn't hear Caitlyn say, "_Who?_"

Mitchie dashed around the corner and almost ran right into Jason.

"Jason! Where's Shane!?" Mitchie breathed.

"Hi, Mitchie."

"_Where's Shane_?!"

Jason crinkled his nose. "Who's Shane?"

Mitchie eyes widened. "Your _best friend_!"

Jason smiled. "Nope. Nate's my best friend."

"Where's Nate, then?"

"Paris."

"_Paris!?_"

"Yep."

"Why!?"

"He's trying to raise money to be a musician." Jason said, matter-of-factly.

"But he _is_ a musician!!"

"I know. He just doesn't have a record deal yet."

"Yes he does!!! And you do, too!"

"What? No way! Mitchie, that's a great idea! We should make a band! Hmm… it'd only be a two-man band, though. Haha, maybe if we knew that guy Shane you're looking for we could be a real band!" Jason smiled at the idea.

Mitchie looked at him incredulously. "Shane is your best friend! You three _are _in a band together and he's _my _fiancé!"

"You're getting married? Congratulations!" Jason tried giving her a hug, but Mitchie just made an impatient noise and stormed off to her office.

"Peggy!" She exclaimed when she spotted her.

"Oh, hi, Mitchie!" Peggy smiled. "Coffee?" She gestured to the coffee maker she was standing next to.

"No, thanks. Have you seen Shane?"

Peggy raised her eyebrows. "Shane?"

"Stop messing around with me, Peggy! I need to talk to Shane!"

Peggy looked almost scared for a moment, but quickly recovered. Mitchie could be scary when she was upset but Peggy always remembered that Mitchie was in no way dangerous. "Mitchie, I'm sorry. I don't know who you're talking about. Shane who?"

"Shane. _Gray_." Mitchie said through gritted teeth. "Your friend. My fiancé. We've all been friends for like… eight years?" She tried to breathe deeply and stay calm. Panicking wouldn't help.

"Your fiancé? What? You're engaged? Since when?! I thought you were single!" Peggy smiled in a kind of confused way.

"Peggy! We've been going out off and on since we were in high school! He proposed _months_ ago, come on! Don't do this to me!" Mitchie looked heartbroken.

Peggy's face fell. "I'm sorry, Mitchie. I don't know this guy."

Mitchie stared at her for a moment, trying to fight back tears. She usually didn't fall for this type of joke, but this time it was really getting her. And it didn't seem like such a joke anymore. Jason was too much of an airhead to be such a great actor (he'd once proved it after trying out for a play at Camp Rock). And Peggy was a wonderful actress, musician, and writer, but Mitchie would have been able to tell if this was pretend. She had no idea now.

"Um… Can I take an hour off? I need to… do something."

Peggy was too shaken by Mitchie's behavior to even say she should check with Boss. She just nodded.

…

Mitchie pounded on the door of Shane's apartment. "Shane! _Please_ open up! I need to talk to you! Please!"

The door swung open.

"What do you want?!" A big man stepped out, a beer in his hand. He had a thick neck and a sweaty-looking, angry face.

Mitchie stepped back. "Where's Shane?" She asked in a small voice.

"How am I supposed to know? I don't even know anyone named Shane! Now go away! And don't be banging on anyone else's door! Goodbye!" He yelled and slammed his door shut.

Mitchie stood, frozen, staring at the closed door, a tear trickling down her face.

_Shane was gone._

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**So... I had a day over the weekend when I wasn't doing something every second so I wrote this and then when I came to put this up it wouldn't let me! I got pretty ticked off. But I'm all happy again now. The week's more over than it was yesterday, too, which I'm liking. **

**I hope this chapter didn't disappoint! Pleaseplease review! And thank you so much for reading! :D**


	3. Don't Know What You Got Till It's Gone

**Hello! SO sorry for the long wait and the terrible shortness of this chapter! Happy reading!**

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She didn't go back to work. She didn't even call anyone to say she wouldn't be there. She felt sick and confused. How could Shane have been with her one moment and then gone the next? She had tried calling his phone numerous times again. It was still the same. When she got back to her apartment, she realized, to her horror that all the pictures she'd had of Shane were gone, and the drawer of notes from him that she always kept was filled with other little doo-dads. When she looked at her call log there was no evidence that she'd ever called him or he'd ever called her.

It was like Shane had never even existed.

All Mitchie could do was sit and stare and try not to have a panic attack or throw up. She had no idea what could be happening. She knew by now that this could be no trick. Shane would never have done something like _this._ Destroy all evidence of himself completely just to freak her out. It was impossible.

Thinking hazy thoughts, Mitchie finally fell into a fitful sleep on her couch.

…

"Shane!" He was there. In her living room.

"Hey, baby."

"Why weren't you here?"

"Nice to see you, too." He smiled at her.

"Shane, what happened!?" Her eyes danced around in confusion, although relief was visible on her face.

Shane's smiled became sad. "I'm only in your dream, Mitch. It's not over. Me not being with you, I mean."

Mitchie's face fell. "Wh-why?"

Shane walked over and sat next to her on the couch. "Remember last night?"

Mitchie nodded, ashamed.

"Well… what you said to me… I guess… It kind of came true."

"What I said about… never meeting you?" She met his eyes.

He nodded solemnly.

"So… where are you then?"

"I don't exist anymore. Except here. You know, in your dream."

A look of horror crossed Mitchie's face. "Why don't you exist?!"

Shane smiled in a way that meant something wonderful and terrible that the same time. "I guess my whole life's purpose was to meet you, or something along those lines. Basically, I wouldn't exist of I never met you."

Tears rose in Mitchie's eyes. "Shane… I didn't mean what I said. Really, I was just angry. I know I'd be nothing right now if it wasn't for you… I-"

"I know." Shane said, and closed his hands around hers. They felt cold on Mitchie's skin.

"How do I get you back?" A tear made its way down her cheek.

He pulled her head onto his chest and put his arms around her.

"Love." It was so quiet Mitchie wasn't even sure if she heard it.

…

She woke up in a cold sweat, her eyes stung with tears.

Love. She already loved Shane! He was her everything, which she knew completely now that he was gone. Sure, he'd been a bit frustrating at times. Especially around her family. But she loved him. She was _in_ love with him. She knew that. He seemed to know that.

So why was this happening?

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**As I said, sorry for the long wait and then a dinky little chapter. Hopefully I'll update soon... PLEASE review! They make me super happy, and in the end they could make you happy, too if you tell me things you like, dislike, or would add. So please review and I really hope I didn't totally let you down with this one. Thanks for reading! :)**


	4. It's A Girls' Night

**HI! I'm SO sorry for the horrid more than month-long wait for this chapter! I'm a terrible person for not updating sooner. But I know you'll be wanting to read so get to it! :)**

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"Hey," Caitlyn said, looking concerned, "Mitchie, are you okay?"

Mitchie shrugged. "I just…um… had a kind of mental breakdown last night, that's all."

"I'm sorry, Mitch. You could've called or something…"

Mitchie smiled hesitantly. "It's okay. I'm feeling better." She lied.

If only Caitlyn could understand what was going on. Mitchie would have told her everything and then Caitlyn could help her.

"Hey, everybody!"

The two young women turned their heads to the source of the voice.

"Nate's coming home!" Jason was standing on his desk, yelling this at the top of his lungs.

Caitlyn laughed. "Jason! Get down from there! Tess will kick your ass if she sees you!"

Tess Tyler was the Editor-in-chief of Hot Magazine; a glamour queen who knew what she was doing- and a real bitch who you didn't want to mess with.

Jason just smiled. "But Nate's coming home!"

Caitlyn shook her head. "I think you've made that clear, Jase."

Jason jumped down from the desk, surprisingly lightly, and placed his hand on Caitlyn's shoulder.

"I'm gonna go get some donuts to celebrate." He then looked at Mitchie. "Oh, Nate's gonna be so glad to see you again!" He looked back at Caitlyn and then ran off.

The blush fading in her cheeks, Caitlyn turned to Mitchie and grinned. "Nate sure will be happy."

Mitchie's face was blank. "_What!?_"

Caitlyn smirked. "You know Nate."

Mitchie's mouth opened and closed, but nothing really came out.

The few people in the small office were still chattering about Nate and donuts. Caitlyn turned around and said, in a loud voice, "Back to work, people! We all know Tess." Then she made a face and walked out of the office, Mitchie following behind.

"Nate!?" Mitchie whispered loudly.

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, still walking. "Yes, Nate. You two are perfect for each other; get over it."

Mitchie had a look of horror in her eyes and Caitlyn laughed.

"Why does this surprise you? We've been trying to set you guys up for ages… Hello? Is Mitchie home?" Caitlyn waved her hand in front of Mitchie's still-shocked face.

Mitchie blinked. " Seriously? I mean, Cait, he's just… he's not…" Mitchie had to try hard to keep from bringing Shane up. She knew it would only bring more trouble.

"He's totally sweet," Caitlyn said. "And he hasn't seen you for like a year. And look at you, Mitch." Caitlyn stopped and turned around to motion up and down Mitchie's body. "You're gorgeous."

Mitchie smiled. "Cait, when did you become such a suck up?!"

Caitlyn laughed. "When did you get so clueless?"

Mitchie's smile faded a bit, but she bit her tongue. She didn't want to tell Caitlyn. Not yet.

Caitlyn noticed Mitchie's sudden change in mood. "Mitch… you want to go to dinner tonight? Maybe do some shopping? We could bring Ella and Peggy along. It'd be like a girls' night out."

Mitchie sighed with relief. "That'd be wonderful"

...............................................................................................

"So then he screams at me, 'No, Peggy, you don't understand! Photosynthesis is the study of cameras!'" Peggy was telling an epic story about and old boyfriend.

Caitlyn and Mitchie giggled, trying not to spit out their drinks.

Ella looked confused. "Isn't it, though?"

Mitchie couldn't help but laugh at that. Classic Ella. It was good to have a night to just have fun. Mitchie was really enjoying herself. She was remembering what great people Caitlyn, Peggy, and Ella were. She seemed to have forgotten her best friends in the whole situation she was in.

"No, Ella. It's a scientific thing. You wouldn't like it." Peggy assured Ella, who nodded happily.

"Oh, I'm so glad I don't date stupid guys like that anymore!" Caitlyn said, shaking her head.

"Me, too." added Peggy.

"The guys at work aren't even _that_ bad. I'm happy we have them. And we must have the biggest number of straight men working on a fashion magazine out of any other fashion magazine in the country."

"They're straight?" Peggy joked. Mitchie and Ella just laughed with the two others. They'd been exchanging witty comments all night. It was never-ending entertainment.

Caitlyn's phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the screen.

She raised her eyebrows. "Speaking of guys at work…" She pressed a few more buttons then looked at Mitchie.

"Jason texted me that Nate's flight just landed. We'll be seeing him tomorrow!"

Mitchie just shook her head at Caitlyn and tried not to laugh. She'd been saying things about Nate to Mitchie all night and refused to give it a rest.

Peggy smiled. "It'll be nice to see him again. Is he going to be picking up where he left off on the guys' advice columns?"

Ella nodded. "I think so. And Baron told me he might be working on a piece about the fashion and music in Paris."

"That should be interesting." Caitlyn kept looking at Mitchie, not blinking.

"Stop it!!" Mitchie shrieked at her.

Caitlyn looked shocked for a moment and then burst into another fit of giggles. Mitchie, Peggy, and Ella happily joined in.

Mitchie hadn't felt this carefree in a while. It was nice.

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**I'm sorry for that fail-full chapter. It was terribly short and not very good in my opinion. I made myself write it tonight, even though I'm missing Dancing With The Stars for this... But at least you know I'm not dead, right? Hopefully I'll be updating more often soon. School's just been keeping me super busy right now... The good stuff in this story should be soming soon!**

** PLEASE don't forget to review and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading, lovelies. :)**


	5. You Don't Even Know

"Hey."

Mitchie jumped about a foot in the air and whipped around to see who had tried to give her a heart attack.

She couldn't help but smile when she saw the friendly face.

"Nate."

He smiled.

"Mitchie."

He seemed to casually look Mitchie up and down. She fiddled with her fingers uncomfortably. That smile hadn't been the right thing to do. Nate was looking at her. Looking at her in a _friendly _way_._ Oh no. He stepped forward.

"You look great."

_He doesn't like you he doesn't like you he doesn't like you… Be awkward. Then he definitely won't like you_

She smiled _awkwardly._ "Err… um… thanks…"

"What's going on?" He asked, being _friendl_y.

"Nothing." She answered quickly.

"What are you doing?" He indicated toward the printer she had been standing over two seconds before.

"Printing." She answered.

He nodded. Like he couldn't have seen that when he'd walked up.

"How are you?"

"Good." She gritted her teeth. Never before had she purposefully tried to be awkward.

"Are you only going to use one-worded answers?"

_Shit, Mitchie, what do you say to that?_

She shrugged.

He smiled a _friendly_ smile that mocked her. She frowned.

Suddenly she grabbed the papers she had been copying. "Have to go." She said and walked swiftly out the door.

She didn't see the hurt look on Nate's face when he said, "Nice to see you again, Mitchie."

.....................................................................................................

Mitchie plunked into her chair and laid her head in her arms. She just murdered a perfectly good friendship. Maybe Nate would even remember Shane. But she just blew it all up. Way to go, Mitchie.

"Hey!" Caitlyn dragged out the word cheerily as she poked her head into Mitchie's cubicle.

Mitchie looked up, still frowning. Caitlyn didn't even notice.

"Did you see Nate?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Yes."

"And…?"

Mitchie just stared at Caitlyn.

Caitlyn looked confused. "What happened?"

"He can't like me, Cait. I don't want him to like me. So I was rude to him. And you know I'm never rude to people! Now I feel like freaking shit because I'm afraid that if I'm civilized Nate will like me!"

Caitlyn made a face. "What the hell, Mitchie?"

"I know!" She threw up her hands exasperatedly and stood up. Realizing how loud she'd been and that people were staring Mitchie sat back down and whispered.

"I mean it's complicated. I wish I could tell you.. but-"

"Then tell me. We've been best friends for, like, what- 75 years?"

Mitchie cracked a smile. "Nine." Caitlyn smiled too. And then she was serious.

"You can tell me anything."

"It's not that simple. You'd think I was insane. Peggy and Jason already do. _I_ think I might be insane."

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "It can't be that bad."

Mitchie shook her head. "Oh, but it is."

"Just tell me!" Caitlyn shrieked. People stared.

"I'm showing Mitchie what our readers will be like when we advertise our next issue with that big Angelina and Brad story." Caitlyn said quickly and the people nodded and turned back to what they had been doing before.

Mitchie had her face in her hands again.

"Please." Caitlyn added in a whisper.

Mitchie took a deep breath. "Okay, well, you'll just have to come over to my place tonight so we can talk in private. I really don't want anyone overhearing."

"Overhearing what?" Jason walked over and draped his arm around Caitlyn.

"Overhearing how much we dislike you as a colleague, Jason." Mitchie said pleasantly. Then she shot Caitlyn a stern "no-one-overhearing-like-_this_" look.

Jason's face fell. "Then why did you let me overhear?"

Caitlyn smile. "We're just kidding. This is a gossip magazine, remember? There are lots of things we don't want to be overheard until _we've_ written about them."

"Oh. Okay." Jason smile again. "Hey, want to go grab some donuts?" Jason asked Caitlyn.

"Sure. Bye, Mitchie!" They waved as they walked away, leaving Mitchie and her tortured mind alone.

…………………………………..

"Wow, Mitch, you still haven't painted like you said you were going to months ago." Caitlyn said as she stepped into Mitchie apartment. Mitchie and Shane had been going to paint it after the wedding.

"Nice to see you, too." Mitchie said, leading Caitlyn to the couch.

Caitlyn shook her head. "So what do you need to tell me that's so secretive?"

Mitchie sat criss-crossed, facing Caitlyn. "Please just don't think I'm crazy. Don't report me to a doctor or anything. Since you want to know so badly just listen. I trust you."

Caitlyn's face grew concerned as she nodded, folding her legs, mirroring Mitchie. They hadn't sat in their secret-spilling session positions like this since they were sixteen. Caitlyn knew this wasn't just some little things anymore. Mitchie was serious. And a serious Mitchie was kind of scary.

"So, last week I woke up and everything was different." Mitchie began, terrified of re-living the last week and not sure what to expect from Caitlyn. She couldn't go back and freeze time, no matter how much she wished it. She could only tell Caitlyn what had happened and trust that she would listen and not call her crazy.

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**Oh, gee. Sorry for this chapter (that sucked, in my opinion) . I'll try to get things moving faster soon. School's out in 2 weeks so hopefully I'll be updating more frequently then. But Nate's here! Woo! I love Nate. Do you? Review and tell me! Thanks for reading! :)**


	6. The Past Can Come Alive

**I have to let you wonderful readers know something.**

**The day after I last updated I woke up with 22 new emails in my inbox. All from you guys either favoriting, reviewing, or alerting this story. I felt like I was made of awesome. So thank you SO MUCH!**

**But I've kept you waiting too long for this. So sorrysorrysorry. Please forgive and read the next chapter! :)**

* * *

Mitchie introduced Shane into her "story" like some character from a book. She told Caitlyn about Camp Rock and how Shane, Jason, and Nate were big-shot popstars and how Mitchie sang with Shane at Final Jam. Caitlyn studied her suspiciously, but as Mitchie continued, Caitlyn just listened.

Mitchie told Caitlyn how after Final Jam was over she met Shane on the dock and he kissed her. She told Caitlyn how she and Shane had been almost inseparable for the past nine years. She told Caitlyn how Shane had proposed.

And then she told her about the fight.

"It was bad." Mitchie said.

"How bad?"

"I threw a spoon at his face." Mitchie admitted.

"No," Caitlyn gasped.

Mitchie nodded sadly.

"And then I took off my engagement ring and threw it at him. I told him I wished I never would have met him. But I guess that wish came true or something because now he doesn't even exist anymore! Peggy doesn't remember him. Jason doesn't remember him… _You _don't even-"

"Mitchie." Caitlyn's eyes flickered.

"What?"

"I do remember him."

"What!?" Mitchie screeched.

"Well, I don't _remember _him. It's just, like, I can see his face in my mind. I remember really vaguely, like a dream or something. Shane Gray. Yeah…" Caitlyn said slowly.

Mitchie stared at Caitlyn. "Oh my God."

"I don't think you're crazy."

"Oh my God." Mitchie said again. A slight smile was on her lips.

"This is so weird!" Caitlyn exclaimed.

Mitchie just grinned and threw her arms around her best friend. This wasn't hopeless.

.....

Mitchie went to sleep almost happy. Caitlyn believed. Caitlyn _knew_. As Mitchie faded out of consciousness she saw Shane's face. Shane's chest. She saw Shane.

He was standing in front of her. She knew it was a dream, but it was one of those dreams that was clear, like the one Shane had visited her in before. She sat up and he took a seat on her bed.

"Hey, baby." There was his trademark grin.

Mitchie smiled and reached for his hand. Shane took it and pulled her into his lap.

"So Caitlyn knows. And she knows me, huh?"

"Yeah. How does that-"

"How does that work? I can't really tell you. But I think it means you're not losing your sanity." He kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes at the familiar sensation. There were happy butterflies floating around in her stomach.

"Shane, what do I have to _do_? I'll do anything. I just want you back." Mitchie pleaded.

Shane made a mock hurt face and gestured to himself. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

Mitchie buried her face in his neck and inhaled. He smelled like his cologne and music. This dream was being too good to Mitchie.

"I mean I want you back with me for real. Not just in my dreams."

Shane studied Mitchie's face. "Remember what I said last time."

Mitchie's nose crinkled in confusion. "Love?"

Shane smiled and nodded.

"But-"

He put her finger to her lips and kissed her nose. Then he was gone.

* * *

**Whaaa. That was epicly short. Well. Important stuff, though. I hope you enjoyed that. **

**Whoa. Anyone else watch the Jonas Brothers livechat and listen to that music? I'm so excited. And I'm in love with Fly With Me (hence the title for this chapter). Sorry, that was a wee bit random.**

**Yo, I'm out of school. Summer= lots of free time. Lots of free time=updates! So if I don't update soon feel free to scream at me because I have no excuses now. **

**If you review I'll give you a virtual bear-hug and some virtual cookies. And in real life I'll smile and be very happy. Thank you for reading this chapter and this too-long author's note! :D**


	7. It Validates Her Pride

Mitchie could see Nate directly avoiding eye contact with her as he walked by.

She cursed under her breath.

Caitlyn popped up next to her and followed Mitchie's eyes to Nate.

Mitchie looked at her. "I have to apologize."

Caitlyn nodded. "Yeah, you probably do. His little heart's probably ripped to shreds knowing that you'll never want him as much as he wants you and-"

"Caitlyn!" Mitchie snapped.

Caitlyn came to her senses and clenched her teeth. "Oh. Right. Sorry. I was really getting in to it, huh?"

Mitchie nodded curtly and stood up.

"Good luck." Caitlyn patted Mitchie on the back. Mitchie offered a weak smile in return.

Mitchie took a deep breath and headed to where Nate was in the kitchen.

When she stepped inside Nate looked up at her. She held his gaze and walked toward him. She smiled in a very pathetic way and asked him if the seat across from him was taken. It wasn't.

"So, I really need to apologize for the way I acted yesterday. I was rude to you on your first day back. I don't know what got into me,"

_Yes you do, Mitchie. You know exactly what got into you._

"I really should have stayed around to talk and not…" She shrugged.

_No, you shouldn't have stayed. Because he likes you. He wants you, Mitchie. You're a heartbreaker._

"I'm sorry." She ended.

_But you are sorry. You care too much._

Nate had been looking at her thoughtfully the whole time she'd been speaking.

He answered quickly.

"It's fine, Mitchie. I probably surprised you. You looked kind of flustered."

_You were surprised, Mitchie. And flustered…quite flustered._

Mitchie cursed her thoughts at this moment. She didn't need to be thinking so much, on top of everything else.

She smiled, semi-relieved. "Good."

Nate smiled charmingly. "No problem."

There was a relaxing silence between them for a few moments before Nate started talking again.

"So, what's new with you, Mitchie? How are you? And could you use multiple syllables this time?" He grinned devilishly. Odd for Nate, Mitchie thought. He was usually the polite, no-nonsense type. She smiled, amused. She could tell him exactly what she told Caitlyn last night. That would be definitely more than enough for Nate. But no, Mitchie was much too nice for that.

"Well, I've been working, obviously. I still haven't gotten around to painting my apartment. I'm doing fine, nothing monumental in my life."

_Lieslieslieslieslies._

"What about you?"

"Well, you know I was just in Paris. I was learning more about music and practicing and such. Paris is a great for writing and being inspired. And so beautiful." He looked at Mitchie with a slight smile on his lips as he said that. She squirmed a bit. He was so intense sometimes.

"Now I'm going to work on getting signed to a record label. And working here to write about it."

Mitchie nodded politely. If only he knew that in Mitchie's old life he was signed to a record label. And insanely famous and successful.

Just then, Jason walked into the kitchen. He spotted Mitchie and Nate and strolled over.

"Hey, guys. Are you two _reconnecting_?" Somehow, Jason's attempt to be inconspicuous turned out to be very obvious. His "casual" smile almost seemed giddy.

Nate smiled uncomfortably. "Um, yeah."

Jason nodded, like he was catching on to a secret. "Great, great. Well, I'll leave you two at it, then. To _reconnect."_

He walked away, whistling. Mitchie wanted to laugh at how Jason was acting, but couldn't because it really wasn't so funny, when you were in such a complicated situation.

"So, are you going to get any food?" Nate asked, bringing Mitchie back to Earth.

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**Ahhh. Sorry for the long wait. I thought it would be a shorter time. I had to do this quickly because I'm leaving for Green Bay for a week tomorrow morning (my birthday!! :D)and I didn't want to make you wait any longer. AND this is epic short, once again. Maybe this is just a short-chapter kind of story.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Pleaseplease review and thank you so much for reading!**

**And the Jonas Brothers' new album comes out on Tuesday! Are you guys as pumped as I am?!**

**xoxo :)**

**Oddball**


	8. So I Can Breathe

**I am SO sorry, you guys! It's been almost 2 months! Feel free to send me hate mail- I probably deserve it for just leaving this story alone for so long. I guess I lied when I said I'd be updating more this summer. :| But I DO hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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Mitchie laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear. Nate was funnier than she remembered. She looked at her empty plate and then glanced at the clock.

"Oh my God." She couldn't help herself. "We should probably get back to work. We've been here for an hour and a half."

Nate looked at the clock, too, and made an impressed face. "Wow, time really does fly when you're having fun."

They stood up and Nate picked up both their plates.

"Thanks." Mitchie said quietly.

"No problem." He smiled. Then he opened his mouth again, and hesitated a bit before saying, "I had a really great time talking with you. Would you want to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

"Yes, I'd love to." Mitchie smiled. Nate was such a gentleman.

"Great. I'll call you later."

"Awesome. Bye."

"Bye." Nate winked at her before turning around and walking away.

Mitchie couldn't help but grin hugely as she returned to her cubicle. But before she could sit down, Caitlyn intercepted her.

"Hey, smiley, someone looks happy." Caitlyn said suspiciously.

The smile fell right off Mitchie's face. "Oh no."

"Oh no?" Caitlyn repeated.

Mitchie made a distressed face. "This is terrible!"

"What's terrible?"

Mitchie put a hand to her head and shout/whispered, "I have a date with Nate tomorrow!"

Caitlyn's mouth formed the shape of and 'o'. "How the hell did that happen?"

"I don't know!" Mitchie sat down in her chair with a dramatic _thump._

"There's gotta be a story. What's the story? Go through the story with me, Mitchie."

"Well, I went to go apologize to him… then he asked me if I was getting food and I looked at the clock and it was noon and I thought, "Why don't I get food? It's lunchtime anyway." Then we got food and he started talking to me and he's really funny, and he made me laugh. He was so nice and he totally forgave me for being a freak the other day. So we were talking and stuff and I realized it had been and hour and a half since we started talking and then he picked up my plate to go drop off and he said he had a great time and did I want to go out with him tomorrow and I was so happy so I just said yes because… I think I like him, Cait. I like him more than I should. It's his fault I was smiling. Dammit! I was smiling because of _Nate_! That's wrong! That is _so_ wrong! What do I do? Help me!"

Mitchie took a deep breath and looked to Caitlyn in despair.

Caitlyn thought for a moment. "Cancel the date."

Mitchie stared at her in horror for a moment.

"What?! No! I can't just _cancel the date_! I smiled at him! He made me laugh! He thinks I like him! _I_ think I like him! I would break his heart! I have a fiancé, for crying out loud, Caitlyn, and you want me to _cancel the date!?_"

Caitlyn tried not to laugh and nodded, attempting to look solemn. One thing she found amusing about Mitchie; she rambled when she got upset. It caused way too much entertainment on Caitlyn's part, and poor Mitchie was just beside herself and so worked up.

"Yeah, hun. Best thing to do would be to stop leading him on. You may like him a little bit, but probably because your fiancé is… wherever he is and can't be with you… It's like at the store when your favorite cupcakes are gone and you buy the really sweet cupcakes just to hold you over until they restock the good ones."

"…But the sweet cupcakes are good, too." Mitchie's face crumpled.

Caitlyn tried to say something more comforting, but when she thought of something, she imagined how Mitchie would react and stayed quiet. There was a kind of tragic silence between the two.

"Hey, ladies." Nate walked up and grinned at the two women.

Mitchie glanced at him and managed a pained smile. Caitlyn did the same.

Nate seemed to sense the tension in the air. "Well, I'll see you later." He sent a friendly wave in their direction and walked off.

Caitlyn turned to see Mitchie's face was still sad. "Oh, Mitchie…"

Mitchie shrugged and tried to smile. "I'll figure it out."

Caitlyn nodded. "Yes, you will. You will figure it out with me, tonight, when we go out to dinner, because you are not allowed to be alone tonight, and we are going to eat until we puke. Okay?"

Mitchie actually laughed. "Okay. Thanks."

Caitlyn patted her head. "You need it."

...

"Okay, Cait, I've been thinking." Mitchie said, after the waiter walked away with their orders.

"Don't hurt yourself."

Mitchie stuck her tongue out. "I was _thinking_ that I don't want to just forget about this mess I'm in. I mean, it is my life, and I have to deal with it. I want to figure out how to make it right again."

Caitlyn looked impressed. "Okay. So… how are we going to go about this?"

Mitchie wrinkled her nose. "Um…"

She began thinking. She was thinking about her situation from beginning to now- again. She hadn't told Caitlyn about how Shane visits her in her dreams. Maybe some grand idea could be sparked from that.

"You know, I've seen Shane since everything changed."

Caitlyn's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

Mitchie smiled. "I forgot, because I was so happy you _remembered_ him."

"Oh, okay. Now tell!"

Mitchie laughed. "So he's visited me. In my dreams. It's kind of real, and I'm pretty sure that's his only way of communicating with me. He told me he forgave me for throwing stuff at his head, and he still loves me. He was the one who told me that when I had said I wished I'd never met him, it came true. He also said that he basically doesn't exist anymore, because if we'd never met, he wouldn't exist."

Caitlyn smiled sadly. "Aw."

"Yeah." Mitchie smiled, too. "So I asked him how I could get him back, and he said love. But I don't get that, because I already love him. I still love him. I don't know what else to do."

Caitlyn looked puzzled. "He won't tell you anything else?"

Mitchie shook her head. "No. When I ask, he kind of just... leaves. He won't give me any details. I guess I'm supposed to figure this all out by myself…" She nodded at Caitlyn. "Or, at least, without him."

Caitlyn shrugged. "Love… love, love, love, love, love…"

Mitchie watched her in silence.

"Love…" Caitlyn had her eyebrows wrinkled and her eyes had a faraway look in them. It was Caitlyn's thinking face. "Maybe…"she started, after a while, "maybe, it's not Shane you're supposed to love, since you already do. Maybe… it's Nate." Caitlyn looked at Mitchie with a glint in her eye.

Mitchie's mouth dropped. "Nate?!"

Caitlyn nodded. "Who else could Shane have meant? Love. It's obvious you love him, but you seem to be fighting yourself about Nate. Maybe you have to love him in order to get Shane back."

Mitchie hesitated. "I don't know…"

"Just think about it. I'm only trying to help."

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**There you go, guys. I am sincerely sorry for the wait on this. I will try to update sooner with the next chapter, but sadly, I can't gaurantee! You know what? If you PMed me telling me that I need to update, that might help. Haha ;) School starts here in 2 weeks (puke). I really don't know how that will effect updates.**

**Anyway, thank you all for reading! Please don't forget to review. Reviews make me smile. :D**

**Much love,**

**Oddball**


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